This is where I worked:






This is how we ate:






This is how they live:










This is Shane's first trip to the ocean:




And his first time feeling unsure about a carnival ride:

Ah, so--

last week it was almost unbearably humid over here on the east coast, but two days of perpetual thunderstorms broke the suffocating heat and created this perfectly summery morning.

And I had woken up from this spectacular dream of horses, you see. And was wearing my very favorite dress of the moment. And got lunch with Nasser before being told to leave work early to spend more time with him.

And really, what could feel better than feasting and ruminating (word of the day, perhaps of the summer) with him in Philadelphia--his new home, my (almost) former home.

And because I am leaving this segment of my life behind, I would like to fully ruminate about what a strange ten weeks it has been. But. Maybe tomorrow. Today has been too good for that.

You must make sure you're happy when you leave your summer places.

--Animal Collective, Grass

TODAY I GOT MY THOROUGHEST GIRL WITH ME

Highly recommended:

01. Chambray (see 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5)
02. Figs from the tree in my aunt and uncle's backyard
03. Missy Elliott
04. Jay-Z
05. '03 Bonnie and Clyde (middle school memories)
06. Re-watching Bottle Rocket
07. A whistling puppy
08. OPI's "cab fare"
09. Anything yellow, really
10. The Salvation Army on 22nd and Market
11. Profi's Creperie
12. Stefanie Posavec's first chapters
13. Getting a ton of sleep

NONE BUT SHINING HOURS

"You know?" she continued. "I always do the wrong thing. I do the wrong thing so much that the times I actually do the right thing stand out so brightly in my memory that I forget I always do the wrong thing."

--Lorrie Moore, Childcare


This is, by far, the most gorgeous morning I've experienced in my seven weeks here.

Yesterday Colin and I walked all over Philadelphia (eight miles in total!) and it was nice to show off what little I know about a pretty neat city. Mostly, though, it was wonderful to spend a couple days with Colin, talking and talking and talking.

Today we took the kids to NYC for the Museum of Natural History and it was sooooo coooooool. Everyone wished we'd had more time there but I think the kids still got a lot out of it (I overheard Sambriya whispering to her friends, "did you know we used to be monkeys?! Isn't that weird??" and when they were quizzed about climate change on the bus ride home it seemed they'd retained a surprising amount of information). Jared, one of the kids they've been having "attitude" problems with, is for some inexplicable reason a big fan of me so we spent most of the day walking through the exhibits together. Witnessing how the camp is run has been in turns frustrating and rewarding; there are some moments where it seems like the kids really get it, and others where it just seems like we're doing everything wrong.

Since we got back from NYC a little late, I decided to walk from the train station to my aunt and uncle's. Over five miles of walking today means I've had lots of time to think about where I am in my life and where I'd like to be in the near future. I am very aware of the things in my life that make me happy and the things that don't, and for once I seem to be able to prioritize those things accordingly.

WORD!

The next month will go by really quickly.


There are so many things to look forward to--taking advantage of my last days in a great city, visits, going home, moving into an apartment with Kt, living in the same neighborhood as a lot of my friends, autumn weather (sooo good!), a fairly interesting class schedule, and figuring out what to do with the rest of my life.

The girl who I got my Craigslist Pitchfork tickets from is the freaking adorable singer for this band--she gave me the tickets with a mix CD and an invitation to hang out when I get back.

LOOKS PRETTY GOOD TO ME

Today was Spruce St., a charming used bookstore stuffed to the brim with old books and records (owned by an elderly couple who asked if I wouldn't mind kindly climbing the ladder to dust the cobwebs off the top shelf because, well, their knees just aren't what they used to be), yummy yummy roast duck and lychee kumquat tea with aloe jelly in Chinatown, then the Reading Market Terminal which is like a gigantic North Market (but with an old lady who plays a grand piano between the bakery and the honey vendor) where I bought strawberries to eat with blackberry, sour cherry, sour raspberry, mango, and sour apple honey and where a sweet boy bought me a sunflower because I "looked so pretty while admiring them," and then to Anthropologie where I got a cheapass dress, and then, finally, back to Rittenhouse where I got to play with a roly-poly Asian ball of cuteness.

I wish I had a camera here.

I am crossing my fingers that these visits work.

I MISS ADAM, TOO

Adam
so i heard this story yesterday from this guy who lives in philly

Sam
let's hear it

Adam
there was this group of kids he and his friends would always jump, they lived in south philly, and this one day hes walking home and the kids he jumps spot him and run after him

he runs to this park and climbs a tree

and for whatever reason the kids couldnt get up the tree

and hes sitting up there laughing at them, ah hahahha you think you can catch me

i dont fucking think so

so they set the tree on fire

...

Sam
HAHAHAHAHHAHA

Adam
HAHAHAHAHA

CUZ I'M A LADY (EH, BOYLAND?)

Today I charmed my way into a free library card from the Philadelphia (not free for those who don't pay PA taxes) Free Library. Hey GRE book, your math is scary.

Also, if teaching were in my future, I'd want to teach at the Science Leadership Academy.

Also, I walked into a pet store and fell in love with exactly three kittens.

Also, I wish I could make my hair grow by sheer force of will.

Also, Rittenhouse in the sun.

Spruce St. Espresso, though very much out of my way, has the friendliest staff and clientele that I've experienced so far in Philadelphia. Plus, the sun is out for the first time since I landed, and, as a result, I spent way too much money on clothes (everything feels so good! Who needs money?!). Then there was the street style photographer (lololol), lots of progress made, and the glass-blower in Rittenhouse Square, so a very fine day indeed.